I mentioned at the community meeting last night in all likelihood the fencing along the Woodside Nairn Road will be sort low level poolside fencing or Colourbond, that sort of thing.

There will be higher fencing, tennis court, cyclonic fencing at the back against the military barracks just to stop people going outside.

SIMON ROYAL: Will people be free to come and go?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: No, they won't. They are still legally detained although it's in a very low security environment, so they can't simply come and go, leave the accommodation.

SIMON ROYAL: Well what makes it different then to a detention centre?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: Well in a full detention centre people are behind sort of high security fencing and movements are more controlled.

SIMON ROYAL: People are going to go out into the community I presume, kids will go to school?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: That's right.

SIMON ROYAL: Parents will be able to go to the library?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: Children will be going to school, but that will be under escort. Clearly they'll be bussed to wherever they need to go to school. As for adults, there will be occasional excursions but once again, that's under escort and after a risk assessment in terms of their behaviour.

SIMON ROYAL: If the children are going to school then mixing with the community it's inevitable that they'll make friends, what happens if they want to have a sleepover or stay at their new best friend's place for dinner?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: I don't think sleepovers would be countenanced.

SIMON ROYAL: Dinner?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: Possibly, but once again, it would probably be under some arrangement, some controls.

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: Well, there was a certain amount of heat in the meeting as has been relayed by the media. People had very strong views. I think the announcement was unexpected...

SIMON ROYAL: And did that add to it?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: I think so.

SIMON ROYAL: So the Government and the department essentially has made a rod for its own back.

You've made it more difficult for these people to be accepted in this community by the way you've announced it?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: The point I made last night.

SIMON ROYAL: No, is that fair to say?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: Well, that was a decision of the Government and possibly if there'd been a longer period of consultation that might have been better, but I think the Minister commented on that earlier in the week.

SIMON ROYAL: How would you characterise the reactions, were they racist or were they reasonable or a bit of both?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: I don't think there was, I think people had genuine concerns basically.

Concerns about security, impact on local services such as education and health and also, I guess, the general sort of countryside feel of Woodside area and the Hills that that might be destroyed in some way.

I think there's a perception that this detention facility will be in some way prison like. Questions were asked about whether there'd be high fences and razor wire. Well, there won't be.

SIMON ROYAL: You just said there will be at least on the barrack side?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: No, just wire mesh.

SIMON ROYAL: When did the department first identify Inverbrackie?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: Well, when the Government made its decision on Monday.

SIMON ROYAL: So Monday was the first time you had heard of it?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: More or less, yes.

SIMON ROYAL: Well, is it more or less?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: Well...

SIMON ROYAL: There was obviously a process they went through. Inverbrackie wasn't identified on Monday.

The question I'm asking is this, when was Inverbrackie identified?

CHRISTOPHER CALLANAN: Look I can't... this is done at a Canberra level.

We became aware of it only a day or two before and, but of course the Cabinet had to make its decision on Monday so given the nature of Cabinet deliberations that's when the formal announcement was made.